… crew rescued, millions worth of goods destroyed

THE captain and crew of a Mabaruma-bound cargo vessel escaped with their lives early Sunday morning after the boat which was loaded with millions of dollars worth of goods capsized in the vicinity of the Waini River mouth in the North West District.

The boat, the MV Shivita, was headed to Kumaka in the Mabaruma sub-region from a Water Street wharf in Georgetown. Those on board included Rupert Patterson of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, Devon Marshall of Mahaicony , Andy Donald of Wales, West Bank Demerara and Devon Conners of Mabaruma. Patterson was listed as the vessel’s captain.

The vessel is owned by a businesswoman whose name was given as “Nanda” of Mahaicony on the East Coast of Demerara and reports are that the incident occurred during the wee hours of Sunday morning. Persons at Mabaruma told the Guyana Chronicle that distress messages were sent by crew members early on Sunday morning around 04:30hrs that the boat was on its side and sinking quickly.

Other reports are that the vessel was resting on its side on a mudflat when rescuers, including Coast Guard ranks stationed at Mabaruma, arrived at the location. Business persons from Kumaka also hurried to the location on Sunday to assist; their goods sunk by this time.

A Kumaka businesswoman related that she received the news around 06:00hrs on Sunday. She said that she does not usually hire the vessel to transport her goods, but she noted that the Transport and Harbours Department ferries are in the city and would not arrive at Mabaruma for her to sell her goods in time for Christmas. The incident was one of several in recent years in which privately hired vessels sank outside the coastland while en route to the North West District from Georgetown.

Sources reported that the rough waters coupled with heavy winds were the main contributing factors to such incidents.